I knew it had to happen sometime, but I'd put it far from my mind and I refused to dwell upon it. As the days drew closer I got more agitated and fearful, but I kept going. Yesterday, my worst nightmare occurred.
They started playing Christmas carols at work.
As you know, I'm not a Christian. I'm a spiritual person who found another path. You may know what it's like, you walk another path, you gain another perspective. I am by no means anti- anyone's religion. I believe people have the right to worship the God/dess of their choice and to do so in a manner that does not impinge on anyone else's right to worship another deity. I certainly am not one of those people who think that Christmas should no longer be a public holiday. I was born and raised in Trinidad, where they may have got a lot wrong, but when it comes to making space for peoples' beliefs, they have it really right. Consequently, Trinidad has the most public holidays in the world. We celebrate Diwali, Eid, Christmas with equal gusto, exchanging presents, hanging decorations, lighting candles. The key word there is 'celebrate'.
It may well be the choice of CD compilation work have chosen, it may well be that they only have 2 Christmas CDs to choose from. But, for whatever reason, they've chosen the '12 dirges of Christmas'. Carols that have all the celebration of a dead worm. I like Christmas carols, I have brilliant memories of choir practice in my primary school. I just think if you're going to rejoice at your Saviour's birth, you should at least sound happy. Quite frankly, some of the renditions of 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' are sung with the gusto of the sufferer of piles and a slipped disk. To be fair, the other CD is '12 Christmas Pop Hits', which is fine the first 10 times you hear it. But I hate Slade; and having to listen to 'I wish it would be Christmas' 12 times a day, makes me want to ram perfume bottles down my customers necks. Especially since I also hear "you will take the price tag off, won't you?" about 100 times a day.
Hmm...perhaps the only thing to be said at the end of this rant is:
Bah Humbug!
Bank Holiday Sunday
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And the more you dislike the music the harder it becomes to shut it out!
ReplyDeleteYou have my sympathy.
I am not a religious person at all but I love gospel music because I believe in good music. There are some Christmas carols and songs that I like hearing even though the religious element means very little to me. Others are just dirges. Then throw into the mix a few overplayed novelty Christmas pop records, and you are pretty close to my idea of hell. You have my sympathy.
ReplyDelete(Would sabotaging the CDs be very very wrong?)
Ah we were making Christmas decorations (badly) at school Friday afternoon. There's one Christmas CD "on the system". We listened to that. It's horrifying.
ReplyDeleteuphilldowndale ~ I've decided to buy a lot of alcohol to see me through the festive season. Fa la la la la la 'hic'
ReplyDeletesanddancer ~ gospel is amazing, it's sung with such emotion and gusto. I'm going to have to start plotting the CD sabotage.
gertie ~ I love making stuff with you, I'm sure I'd have had loads more fun with you.
I certainly think that a good, stiff, Xmas drink is called for. You deserve one!
ReplyDeleteI think you need to get out more. Try a bit of shopping, perhaps go and buy that bottle with the pink fancy ribbon around the top in the box with the shiny bits glued on the bottom.
ReplyDelete